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Kathleen Nutt reports on the success of the Family Nurse Partnership
But after the heartache of two miscarriages the 17-year-old hairdresser was anxious she may never hold her much-wanted baby.
While her fears persisted until her daughter Summer was safely born, she was provided with constant reassurance through the pregnancy by a specially-trained nurse Pamela Murray.
The nurse visited Brett every week or so from just after her booking in appointment when she was 12 weeks pregnant and was even available when Brett went into labour. After Summer was born Ms Murray's regular visits continued and will only finish when the toddler turns two in February next year.
Ms Moyles, now 19, is among dozens of young mothers who are benefiting from the pioneering Family Nurse Partnership programme aimed at giving their children a better start in life.
Under the Scottish Government-funded scheme first-time mums aged under 19 in areas of high social need are teamed up with a nurse who visits them weekly or fortnightly in their home during pregnancy and throughout the first two years of their baby's life.
The nurse provides a wide range of practical help on matters such as prenatal health and diet, breastfeeding and child development to wider concerns including housing, education and finding a job.
The pilot project began two years ago in the Lothians where six family nurses were assigned to 145 mums-to-be. It is now being extended to other health board areas at a cost of £3000 per client. For instance, more than 200 expectant mothers will join the programme next month in Glasgow, and around 155 in the Ayrshire and Arran area next February.
By the end of 2013 the programme should be available across the country.
Tomorrow, 41 young mums will be the first group to "graduate" from the Lothians programme – a milestone which will be marked by a ceremony attended by Health Secretary Alex Neil at Edinburgh's Commonwealth Pool.
While Ms Moyes' graduation is still a few months off she looks forward to that day with mixed emotions. "I'm so proud of how Summer is developing. She's walking and talking and becoming a confident little girl, but I'll be absolutely gutted to have to say 'goodbye' to Pamela," she says. "She has been a huge help and I know I'm a better mum from having her support."
The intention of the programme is to offer holistic early intervention. Ms Murray offered Ms Moyes practical tips such as holding, bathing and feeding her newborn as well as giving her a pat on the back and boosting her confidence when she was feeling tired and worn out.
Guided by Ms Murray, Ms Moyes learned how vital it was to talk and read to Summer from a very early age. "Summer speaks very well, she says 'Thank you' and 'Hiya' and 'What are you doing?' and understands loads too," the young mother says.
"She's at nursery two mornings a week and is now being moved up to the toddler room as she's coming on so well. I think her language is so good because Pamela encouraged me to speak and read to her from very early on."
Ms Moyes, who lives with her fiance Chris McVey, 26, a decorator, in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, has been inspired so much by the programme she is now looking forward to starting college next year and training as a hospital nurse.
While she is among the first young mums to get help from the programme in Scotland, the scheme itself dates back almost 40 years.
It was launched in the 1970s in the city of Elmira, New York state, by the American paediatrician Dr David Olds after he saw how badly some children from vulnerable backgrounds were developing. The speech of one four-year-old boy he came across was so severely delayed he communicated only with barks and grunts.
Dr Olds believed in order to improve a child's development and life chances he needed to provide help to their mothers at the earliest possible stage.
He came up with his own model of home visits by nurses insisting the programme should focus on first-time mothers – in order to provide the best chance to promote positive behaviour before negative habits took hold. He said it takes place in the home because this is where most parenting takes place and that the visits should begin during pregnancy in order to improve antenatal health and prevent the unborn baby being harmed by drugs or alcohol.
In the US, the progamme now runs in 20 states and helps more than 20,000 young mothers. It has been praised by President Barack Obama and the results have been outstanding. In an international review by The Lancet in 2009 it was named as only two programmes shown to actively prevent child maltreatment.
In addition, researchers have found children whose parents have been helped by the programme had better language development, did better at school and were less likely to get involved in anti-social behaviour.
Pamela Murray is not surprised at the success of the scheme and believes a number of factors are responsible.
One is a focus on the mum's strengths, looking at what she has achieved in her life and how she can build upon that. But perhaps most important is the close bond which develops between the nurse and mum. "I think the whole programme hinges on the therapeutic relationship you build up with the client," said Ms Murray, 41, who has two children of her own.
"I believe being there, being constant, being regular, being there when we say we will be and being there when there's a requirement for us is the key to its success."
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